Magnets

Magnetism is a force all around us.
It cannot be seen but the way it acts can be seen. Magnets
exert a force of attraction on anything made of iron. Anything made
of iron will be attracted to a magnet. A magnet will often not attract
things that are not made of, or do not contain iron. However,
scientist have developed and discovered materials that are non-ferrous (no
iron) that will act as magnets and be attracted to magnets.

N S

Look at the magnet above. It is called a bar
magnet. It has two ends. The end labeled N means north.
The end labeled S means south. These two ends are the magnetic
poles. The force of a magnet is strongest at the
poles. If you tie a string to the middle of a bar magnet, the north
end will point north and the south end will point south.

The earth is like a giant magnet! The magnetic
fields surrounding earth are near the North Pole and the South Pole.
That is why the poles or ends of a bar magnet are called north and south.

Look at the magnets below. The south pole of a
magnet attracts the north pole of another magnet.

N S

N S

Unlike
poles attract

Repel means "push away" or
"push apart." Look at the magnets below. The north
pole of the magnet repels the north pole of the other magnet.